Make Me a Match!
by bauerfreak
Summary: Eventual Snickers! Sara is feeling lonely, and one of her friends convinces her to try match dot com. Who will she meet?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I have crazy ideas running through my head! Megan – editing is on my to do list for tomorrow!! I promise: ) This will probably be a 3 or 4 shot, depending where my mind goes. I don't own match dot com. Please enjoy and read!

Donkey balls! Sara Sidle loathed these stupid, full of losers and creeps dating sites. She couldn't believe that her best girl friend had actually talked her in to joining one of them. She was pushing forty, her friend Mariel had pointed out, and she was still without a dependable man. It's not like it was her fault! She had standards, for crying out loud! Good guys were hard to come across, especially in a town as sinful and indulgent as Las Vegas. If she were to go into a bar on any given night, half the guys there were out of towners looking for a one night stand that they would later dismiss in their minds as okay, since they were in good old sin city. No, Sara Sidle was not one to be taken advantage of. She didn't let herself be wooed or swept off her feet by men. She'd tried, but Sara had found she wasn't that type of gal. She needed proof; it needed to feel logical. Getting hot and heavy after a few drinks did not seem logical at all.

But here she was – alone on a Friday night, filling out the "Express Yourself" section on match dot com. This was how she ended up spending most of her Friday nights now, since she'd hit thirty – sitting in front of the computer or the television. Feeling as though she was getting too old for the bar scene, she preferred hanging out with a few close friends…except all of those close friends were married couples. It got kind of lonely after a while, being the only single person in your group of friends. That's one of the reasons Sara had finally given in. But damn this website! Why did they have to ask so many questions?

"Describe yourself and your perfect match to our community!" Sara mocked the words on the page in front of her. "Stupid website." She muttered under her breath as she tried her best to think of words to describe herself. Dr. Phil wasn't being much help. _I'm a nerd pushing forty who enjoys listening to police radios and reading forensics textbooks in her free time!_ Sara considered writing, but quickly scrapped it. She was trying to get a date – she couldn't be truthful. This was one of the reasons she like to work so much. When she busied herself, she didn't have to worry about how she was spending her life alone. Plus, at least there were some single guys at work. Not that any of them would ever date her, besides Greg, maybe. But Greg was too immature for her liking.

As her fingers rested at the home keys, she couldn't help but wonder what other kinds of people used this site. Nerds, probably, who picked their noses, owned pocket protectors, went to Star Wars conventions, and who liked to fantasize about Baywatch models every other waking hour of the day. Did she really want to subject herself to that particular breed of geek? Well, she'd tolerated Grissom for while…why not?

Sara tried to take her time filling out the questionnaires, but found some of it downright ridiculous. Which of these turns her on? Body piercings? Nope. Brainiacs? Yes. Dancing? Yep! Erotica? Hmm...No. Flirting and PDA? Yesss!! She'd had to 'control' her public displays of affection with many of her past boyfriends. Hank and the _It's okay, babe_ line had almost gotten her into trouble, and showing even a hint of attraction to Grissom in public was just out of the question. His job was more important than showing how much he loved his girlfriend. He'd made that quite clear, and she was now steadfast in her mind that she would never tolerate that kind of treatment again. If someone loved her, they should be able and willing to shout it out to the world, or he just wasn't worth it. Then again, should she be getting that picky at the age she was?

Sighing heavily, Sara filled out her credit card information and hit the submit button. Hooray. She was now officially a member of match dot com. Let the geeks loose! Why not wink at Sara Sidle? Since it was only nine o'clock, Sara decided to do a little browsing of her own, expecting to come across either overweight or skinny nerds with pimples, or egotistical divorcees. However, she was pleasantly surprised at several of the faces. Of course, there were oodles of the stereotypical internet dating monstrosities, which Sara quickly skipped over. She 'winked' at several guys, which she guessed meant it would let them know she was interested in them. The CSI was already expecting not to get any action back, at least from the good-looking ones. Since it was getting late, she logged off her computer, made sure her door and windows were locked, and then began her bedtime routine.

The thirty-eight year old padded towards her bathroom after changing into her normal sleep attire of panties and a tank top, and began to wash her face with her exfoliating Biore cleanser. The warm water usually calmed her down and helped grab on to that last little piece of sleepiness that would send her beneath the comforter. However, she felt particularly down tonight, and instead of calming, she was getting more tense. Had she really just resorted to online dating? Sara Sidle, who had gone to Harvard University? Sara Side who had gotten amazing job offers at crime labs all over the country? Such success in her professional life, but she was total crap with romance and dating. Was she really that repulsive, annoying, and unpleasant, that no guy had swooped her up in all these years? Did she have some god-awful flaw that everyone else saw, and she was blind to see?

Sara wiped her face with a towel and stared at herself in the mirror for several prolonged moments. Her face still displayed a youth that many women her age would kill for. She was reasonably attractive, she thought. She had a good personality and a sense of humor. She wasn't overbearing, promiscuous, or bitchy. Well, sometimes bitchiness was necessary in her line of work. Sara knew she was a good person, but maybe that's not what the guys wanted. They wanted dumb blondes who could just roll over and spread their legs.

Throwing down her towel onto the sink counter, Sara shook her head at herself and stared herself down in the mirror.

"Who are you trying to kid, Sara? Honestly." She told herself, giving her face one last glare before turning and shutting the light off. Sara crawled into bed – her familiar, queen-sized half-empty bed, and closed her eyes. Little did she know that match dot com was hard at work…and closer to home than she ever imagined.


	2. Chapter 2

Lawguy66: hey!

Forensicsidle: Hello.

Lawguy66: what's up?

Forensicsidle: Just hanging out.

Lawguy66: cool

Lawguy66: so what are your feet like?

Forensicsidle: Excuse me?

Lawguy66: are they pedicured?

Forensicsidle: umm…yea

Forensicsidle: So what do you like to do for fun?

Lawguy66: are they ticklish?

Forensicsidle: Why do you keep asking about my feet?

Lawguy66: no reason, just curious

Lawguy66: so are they ticklish?

Forensicsidle: I have to go.

Forensicside: Bye.

Sara Sidle ended her AIM chat session with the creepiest guy she had ever talked to with a disturbed groan. Was he freakin' serious? Sara was hoping that Ashton Kutcher would barge out of her bedroom closet and declare with ADHD-induced enthusiasm that she had been "punk'd". The disheartened CSI figured she should change her "best feature" in her profile from feet to something else. Apparently, she was just attracting creeps with foot fetishes.

She sighed as she got up from her laptop to get a glass of wine. What would be her second best feature, besides her feet? Her ass? It was a nice size and reasonably attractive, but it wasn't like it even came close in comparison to the derriere of, say, Jennifer Lopez. Definitely not her stomach. Nick always said he liked her singing voice, but that wasn't one of Match dot com's choices. Nope, she'd have to decide between her arms and her eyes.

It was two days into her membership to the website, and so far she had been unimpressed with the results. Dork after nerd had been contacting her. It wasn't like she was not getting attention – she was getting lots, but not the kind she wanted. Ugly, ugly men. Creepy, creepy men. Buhhhh.

Sara downed her wine quickly and then popped some peanuts into her mouth. She just wanted to collapse on the couch and fall asleep now after a long night at work, and a disappointing morning mindlessly surfing the internet and talking to foot-loving lawyers. Sara Sidle decided to do the only other thing she could think of to do all alone after drinking on a Monday morning…play Guitar Hero.

Smiling like a fool, she pulled out her plastic one pound guitar control, which stayed plugged in to her PlayStation 2. She hadn't been one of those losers to wait in line all day the PlayStation 3 had come out. Come on, she had a life. She needed to get home and…play Solitaire while listening to the police radio. The game system started up, and Sara began to practice her strumming on the control, hitting the colored buttons and the fret key in time with the music playing in her head. Soon, the song choices came up, and she decided to start off with an old favorite, "Smoke on the Water".

She had almost conquered the "hard" level, and was trying to move on to "expert". Sara Sidle was a master of those, red, green, yellow and blue keys. Now, she had her heart set on that orange one. Jamming away, she was feeling a little better now, and that alcohol seeping into her bloodstream was probably helping. Half an hour and a couple glasses of wine later, she was a giggling idiot armed with a guitar and too much free time.

"Ha!! Hahahhaaaa!!" She laughed when she saw one of the game's suggestions come up on the screen. "Eleven IS louder than ten!!"

Sara struggled through another song drunkenly and let out an exhausted breath. Her fingers were starting to hurt, so she decided to take a break and check her e-mail.

After checking through her messages, she decided what the hell. She might as well check to see if anyone had winked at her on Even if it was a complete loser, it felt nice to know you were being noticed. She logged on to the website and found that a twenty-year-old NASCAR-loving kid had winked at her. Fat chance.

Sara's eyes then fell upon another feature of the website called Who's Viewed Me. It allowed you to see who had clicked on your profile and was checking you out. She giggled like a teenager who had just found out the star football player had a crush on her, and clicked on the link.

Her drunkenness immediately left her when she saw the profile at the top of her list, but then returned moments later. Nick Stokes. Nick Stokes?? Nick Stokes!!

"Nick Stoooookes!!!!" She exclaimed like a college student, clicking on the link, her fingers trembling a little due to the alcohol and her own nervousness and excitement. He was on this website? Nick Stokes, king of the ladies and former frat boy, was having trouble meeting ladies in Las Vegas? Puh-lease! He could have any girl he wanted.

Sara rested her chin in her hand as she began to scroll through his profile with a dumb grin on her face. "Soooooooo HOT." She said to herself in a drunken droll, scrolling through the pictures he's posted of himself. Apparently, he was a big fan of college football and the NFL, loved watching forensics shows, and going on long walks. His best feature? His arms…of course. But Sara would love to get a better look at those abs and ass just to make sure.

The phone rang, startling Sara and causing her to jump. She laughed at herself and picked it up.

"Siiiiidle."

"Sar? Is that you?" The dreamy southern voice of Nick Stokes asked on the other line. Sara coughed and shook her head a little to clear her head. He always called her at the most inopportune times, like when she was on the toilet or drunk.

"Heyyyy Nick." She told him, scratching at the back of her head.

"Are you drunk?" He asked bluntly.

"Yepp."

Nick cleared his throat on the other line, and Sara could just picture him running a hand over his short hair in amusement.

"Nice. You're on match dot com?" He immediately questioned her, having just found her profile on the website. Nick, too, didn't have anything better to do on a Monday morning other than surf the internet. All his friends were at work, and the beginning of the week wasn't exactly the most attractive time to go to the bars and get drunk. Apparently, Sara had another philosophy about that as he heard her snort with laughter.

"Yeah, and I'm lookin' at your profile, handsome." She smiled as she scrolled up and down, hoping she didn't sound like a complete idiot. Had she just called him handsome?

Nick chuckled and could tell she wasn't quite with it. He was going to ask her if she wanted to grab breakfast or something, but Nick didn't think that was quite a good idea.

"Uhhhh yeah, thanks. I like your profile, by the way. I think I'm gonna wink at you." He teased a little.

Sara laughed a little more than necessary. "That would be awesome, Nicky."

Nick shook his head at her and rubbed at one of his eyebrows. "Well, listen. Give me a call later when you're…better."

Sara let her hand fall to her desk. "You don't think I'm well?" She accused him in a flirty voice. A sober Sara Sidle would want to stab herself at the way she was acting. But drunken Sara was quite enjoying flirting with the hottest guy in Las Vegas over the phone.

"Well if I'm correct it sounds like you've been drinking, Ms. Sidle." He called her on it, walking back over to his computer. Nick logged back on to so he could view her profile again. He wasn't that surprised, honestly, that he'd found her on this website. The woman never left work, and when she went home, her mind was still at the CSI headquarters. No wonder she had trouble meeting guys. "But I would like to ask you out on a date, seeing we're both on this crazy site, and we already know each other."

Sara's heart flip flopped at his suggestion.

"Really?" She almost gasped. "You wanna take me on a date?"

"Of course." He smiled at her dating headline. "Who wouldn't want to go on a date with a girl whose headline says, 'Are we meant to be? Let me check your DNA!'"

Sara laughed, wondering if she should change some of the wording in that. She may have come off a little slutty. She was trying to be fun, but now she felt her face getting red with embarrassment.

"Yeah, I should probably change that." She admitted, shielding her face as if he could see her. Her emotions impaired, her mind began to race again about why she was even on that site. She was alone. She was alone all the time, and that's the way it was always going to be. And now she was throwing herself at guys with some trashy dating headline. "No wonder Lawguy66 was hitting on me."

"What?" Nick furrowed his eyebrows, and heard Sara's voice hitch over the phone.

Sara started crying in a whiny kind of way at the memory of her conversation with Lawguy66. "There was this creepy lawyer guy with a foot fetish and he was hitting on me online and it _disturbed_ me, Nick." She confessed rather dramatically.

Nick had been witness to Sara after a few drinks before, and knew she could be unreasonable and emotional. Sounds like she'd had a rather lonely weekend and an even lonelier morning.

"Sar? Are you alright?" He asked her gently, closing down his browser page so he could concentrate on his friend.

Sara let out a bit of a squeak before answering. "Nooooo." She wiped at her eyes with the heel of her hand. She didn't want Nick to think she was crying to him, but he was one of her good friends.

Nick sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Do you want me to come over?" He offered, willing and able to come over.

"No." She immediately shook her head and wiped at her eyes. Sara surveyed her living room. It was completely trashed and unkempt, and her Guitar Hero controller was sitting out on her coffee table. "I'll be fine. I just got a little ahead of myself."

Nick didn't quite believe her, but he didn't want to butt in where he didn't belong. "Are you sure? Because I can head over."

"Yes, Nick. I'm sure." She assured him, standing up to go lay down on her bed. "I just need to go to bed."

Nick nodded over the phone. He was still worried about her. "Okay, Sar. You know you can call me if you need me, right?"

Sara nodded her head and wiped at her cheeks. "Yeah. Thanks, Nick."

"Kay. Take care, alright?"

"Yeah, I will. Bye."

Sara clicked her phone off and let her arm fall lethargically to her mattress. Had she really just made a complete idiot out of herself to Nick? She had, hadn't she? And now he probably thought she got drunk all the time and did nothing but cry. Well, that was partially true. Ever since her experience last May with that psychotic miniature killer, she'd been on edge. She had trouble sleeping, and a little wine helped put her at ease. But she didn't like it. She didn't like it at all.

Sara curled up on her bed in the fetal position and willed herself not to cry again. But it didn't work. She did want Nick to come over, but she definitely didn't want him to see her like this. No, that would ruin any chance she would have at her dream, to be Nick's girlfriend.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!! You rock!

Nick was worried about Sara. And not just because of the phone call he'd had with her last night – that was merely the icing on the cake. No, that wasn't the right term 'icing on the cake'. The straw that broke the camel's back; the tip of the iceberg only. Nick knew she was hurting, based on his own similar experience a couple years ago. It took a long time for him to get back to 'normalcy', if there ever was such a thing. He would probably never be back to his old self entirely. Being buried alive was just too traumatizing of an experience. For at least a year, he would freak out whenever a bug landed on him, or he had to go into a small space. He knew that Sara must be going through similar experiences, but he wasn't nearly as stubborn as she was. Nick had opted to go to counseling and work through some of his pain, but he knew for a fact that Sara avoided her sessions. Grissom had ordered it, but she wasn't exactly eager to hop off and do whatever he told her to do.

Putting his nose where it didn't belong was not something Nick wanted to do. Sara was one of his best friends, but she had been very testy lately. Testy and…drunk a lot. The woman was drowning her sorrows in the bottom of beer bottles and fuzzy navels. It was a method to deal with trauma, but not a good one. She was on a self-destructive path if he ever saw one, and he was afraid that if he, or anyone, didn't step in, she'd be in some real trouble.

Scrolling through his phone book in his cell phone, the highlighter stopped on her name. He sighed and stared at her number, debating whether he should call her or not. It was almost nine a.m. She should be up right? Well, she might be hung over based on her antics from last night. Sara got silly when she was drunk, and then she got emotional, and then sometimes she just completely broke down.

Yes, he needed to check on her.

Nick pressed dial and cleared his throat as it rang. It took four rings for Sara to answer, and when she picked it up, it sounded like she was having trouble handling it.

"Yep." She answered groggily. Sara was still in bed with a massive headache, and had puked her guts out several times during the night. In short, she felt and looked like crap.

"Hey, it's me." He told her, not sure if it was a good idea after all to call her.

"Hi, me." Sara retorted, in a bit of a smug mood.

Nick chuckled slightly. "How are you feelin'?"

"Like the puke I just upchucked into the toilet." She explained poetically.

"You always put things so well." He smiled as he ran a hand through his short hair.

"Thanks, I try."

"You need someone to come make you some chicken noodle soup?" Nick offered, and didn't know why his stomach had butterflies. She was his best friend – why was he nervous about asking to come over?

Despite being hungover, Sara managed a smile at his offer. "That's a nice offer, Nick, but I'd probably just puke it up."

"Well, at least let me come take care of you. Hangovers are no fun."

A tired hand rubbed at her still pounding head, despite popping Advil several times. Having someone to take care of her would be nice, but Nick would think she was a total schmuck if he saw her like this. He was a master of being in control of himself, even when times got rough, and here she was – giving in to alcohol that made her pass out and just forget everything. However, he had offered. He must know what kind of shape she was in.

"Nicky, I look like shit." She pointed out, in a grumble in a half-hearted protest.

"I can handle it." Nick promised. "C'mon, we've worked the worst decomps together. You couldn't look bad, even if you tried."

Sara felt her heart flutter a little, and she self-consciously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. It was all sweet of him to say, but she really did look like a piece of roadkill off I-15.

"Fine." She managed a smile as she rolled over in bed. "You win. Come pamper your sick coworker."

"Friend." He corrected.

"What?"

"Sick friend, as well as coworker."

Neither said anything for a few moments, as Sara just smiled. God, he was such a sweet guy. Perfect, in a name. Sara didn't understand how this man had lived almost forty years without some lucky lady snatching him up.

Sara laughed to shield the fact that her heart ached for him. "Okay. Hey, can you stop and get me some more Advil on your way over? I'm almost out and my head is killing me."

"Sure thing." Nick promised as he snatched up his keys and found his wallet on the counter. "I'll be there in fifteen."

They both hung up, and Sara tried to hold on the best she could, wondering what exactly Nick would do to help her. The man was creative, maybe he had something nice in mind for her. Sara was thinking he'd just make her some tea and run a bath for her, but maybe he'd do something even more helpful. Maybe he'd…just chop her head off. That would be nice. Who was she kidding? He'd never give her a massage or anything, which was what she was really dying for. Someone to just rub her back as she fell asleep and slept off her hangover. Yeah, that sounded really good. And Nick had just the hands for it.

_I need your hands._

She could try that line again, hehe. And then he'd answer like he had before – _I thought you'd never ask_. And then he would massage her back while whispering sweet nothings into her ear, and while he did that he would realize how in love he was with her. Then he'd ask her to be his girlfriend. But no kissing just yet – that would be nasty since she was just throwing up.

Sara must have gotten caught up in her thoughts and fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, there was pounding at the door. Apparently, she had slept through the doorbell and him knocking for about a minute. She carefully climbed out of bed, trying not to disturb her stomach or head. She probably looked like one of those ladies that carried a basket on her head, except there was nothing there, and she was just an idiot.

Hurrying over as quickly as she could without causing more pain than necessary, she unfastened the deadbolt lock and opened the door to find Nick with a gentle smile on his face and a plastic bag in his hand. His attire alone was enough to make her feel better – he was wearing jeans that hugged him in just the right way. And yes- as he came inside, she noticed that it also made his ass look damn good. As if it was possible not to! He was also wearing a light gray t-shirt that sat on his modest but very enticing biceps. Nick didn't need designer t-shirts – his body just made anything work for him.

"Huh?" Nick asked, and Sara shook her head slightly to clear her mind, forgetting that it would hurt to do so. He had asked her a question and she was too caught up in admiring his bod, that she'd completely missed it.

"Sorry, what?" She put her fingers up to her temple and winced.

"I said, have you drunk any orange juice? That always helps me." He gently took her hand to guide her back to her bedroom. Sara breathed out through her mouth, willing herself not to puke on Nick at the very thought of consuming anything but water.

"I can't, Nick. It'll make me puke." She confessed as he guided her to sit back down on her unkempt bed. She'd tossed so much during the night and her catnap, that the sheets were all wound up and crinkled.

"Have you eaten Saltine crackers?" He began carefully unraveling her sheets and comforter, relieving them from their sad, bunched up state.

"Nicky, I know all the college tricks, but I seriously feel like puking at just the thought of eating."

Nick had her bed all ship-shape now, so he guided her legs under the covers, gently placing his hand on her pajama-clad leg. Sara accepted his lead and tried not to smile when he smirked at her knowingly. Stubborn as a mule, a synonym for Sara Sidle.

"I want you to try to eat one for me." He instructed her firmly, pulling a sleeve of Saltine crackers out of the plastic bag he'd brought. Sara thought it was cute how matter-of-fact he was being. It took a special kind of guy to handle miss Sara Sidle, and she believed Nick was doing a superb job right now.

Sara sighed and managed to smile up at him a little as he passed her a cracker. She eyed it in disgust for a moment, turning it from side to side to examine it, as if she'd never seen one before.

"Just eat it, Sidle." He smiled at her and adjusted the covers a bit around her. Sara gave him a glare before taking a small bite from the corner. When he gave her a look, she smirked and then devoured the whole thing.

"Good girl." He praised her, causing Sara to roll her eyes as he sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Thank you, mother." Mockery tainted her voice, but it soon left her when she saw his right hand traveling up to her cheek. He cupped her face gently in his hand, and then moved his thumb to swoop away a crumb just by her lip.

"You are very welcome." He told her softly, looking down into her face. She wasn't look too good right now – Sara looked pale, and anyone could tell she was hungover. Still, he was perfect to him. And if he did everything right, he'd have his smug, quirky, smarty pants Sara as good as new.

Nick let his thumb travel back and forth a few more times than necessary, then smiled and kissed her forehead sweetly. He then handed over two more Advil and helped her with her glass of water sitting next to her bed. Sara swallowed them both appreciatively and let out a contented sigh.

"I feel much better. Thank you." She told him, not wanting him to think he had to stay and babysit her.

"No problem. You get some sleep, and I'll have some nice hot tea ready when you wake up." He promised her, letting his hand rub at her upper arm soothingly. It felt so good to Sara, and she never wanted him to stop. However, it would be inappropriate for her to tell him that right now. He was going out of his way to take care of her, and he didn't need some crazy barf-mouthed girl trying to hit on him.

"You don't have to stay." She tried, but was quickly cut off.

"I want to." He assured her, raising his eyebrows at her. "I'm gonna take care of you, and you are gonna let me, right?"

Sara smiled and nodded after a moment. So adorable. Nick kissed her forehead again, and Sara couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like to feel those lips on her own. To find out what it felt like to kiss Nick Stokes. She wouldn't be the first one, but maybe she would be his last.

"Sleep tight, Sar." He winked at her, adjusted her covers one last time, and then left the room, closing the door behind him. Sara sighed contentedly and settled in further. If Nick was here to take care of her, she was certain that everything would be more than alright. Things would be just perfect.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Thanks for waiting patiently! I love writing this story when I actually sit down to do it. It has a silly feel, and from what I can tell, you guys like it too. : ) Please enjoy and review!_

After a very nice and rejuvenating nap, Sara's eyes fluttered open as she heard a pair of feet cross her kitchen floor. No, it hadn't been in a dream, Nick coming here to pamper her. She smiled at the domesticness of it all – what she wouldn't give to wake up every day to the sound of him roaming around her apartment, opening and closing cupboards, fixing himself coffee while he watched Texas A&M lose their football game. Then, after it was over, she would offer him reassuring words as he smiled at the silliness of it all. After that, maybe they would make out and take a roll in the hay.

But she was getting ahead of herself.

He was just here to make sure she didn't dehydrate from puking so much after yet another stupid night of drinking and Guitar Hero. Sara very silently swung her legs over the side of her bed and crept to the bathroom to check her face in the mirror, not wanting Nick to know she had done so. Sure, she looked semi-pretty at least at work with all her make-up on, but Nick had just witnessed the full-blown ugliness of her drunk ass with little to no make-up. He definitely deserved to look at her appearing halfway decent after his eyes had been forced to take in sorry self. Nick had been so nice about it, but Sara was certain he wanted to run away.

Sara sighed as she looked at her appearance beneath the bright lights above her mirror. Now that she hadn't been upchucking and had some beauty sleep, she did look okay. Tousling her hair a bit to fix it up, she then used some make-up remover to wipe away her still clumped-on mascara that had smeared during her little nap. Dammit, Sara! She hated when she forgot to take off her mascara. Hopefully, it hadn't been this bad when Nick had visited before. Crap, what if he'd looked in on her, and saw that disgusting shit all over her? Sara was slightly mortified at the thought, but knew in all his Texan chivalry, he'd never bring it up. He was such a nice guy. And nice guys weren't interested in her. Only assholes and geeks.

After applying a small amount of concealer, foundation, and a dab of lip balm, Sara declared herself presentable. She quickly changed her shirt and applied a little deodorant in case she stank, and headed out to the kitchen.

That man belonged in the movies. He was so adorable when he thought no one was looking. Sara stopped in the hallway, out of Nick's sight, as she looked on towards him fixing himself a cup of coffee. He'd obviously drifted off for a little while too, because he let out an incredibly sexy yawn as he ran a hand over his slightly disheveled hair. That glorious but not over-the-top tan that he'd gotten from working countless hours in sun on a regular basis contrasted well with that shade of gray he was wearing. What would it feel like to get to curl up with that modestly muscular frame of his? He seemed to have just the right amount of muscle and build – not too much like you saw on some guys today. Kind of like a swimmer or soccer player's body. It was toned from regular workouts and activity, not from hours of weightlifting. She bet those arms would be utterly delicious up close as he hovered over her about to…

"Sara?"

Crap! She must have made too much noise. Sara self-consciously tucked some hair behind her ear and coughed as she stepped into full view. Jesus! How long had he known she was standing there and what certain type of creep did he suspect she was now? Did he know that she'd been admiring his physique and regularly thought about his ass? She was sure her face was bright red as she walked towards the breakfast bar.

"Oh, uh, hey." She nervously coughed into her closed fist again as she watched the boiled water pouring from the kettle to the mug. Anything but at his face.

"You just wake up?" His voice was so caring. He made the most mundane topics and questions interesting to listen to with that adorable intonation of his. It was amazing how he seemed even sexier to her when he asked questions like that – like he was concerned with her well-being and maybe even a bit protective. Could he be capable of loving her?

Sara nodded a bit too much. "Yeah. I think it did me a lot of good. I don't look like a dead raccoon now." She joked, not knowing what else to do in the face of possible embarrassment.

Nick smirked and his crow's feet appeared. They looked so good on him. Why did some people fight so hard to avoid them? On Nick, they gave him character and just added to his total hotness. He aged very well. Very, very well.

"You did not look like a dead raccoon." He countered as he stirred a heap of sugar into his mug. "Want some?"

Sara's mouth opened and closed. Did he mean sex? "Want some what?"

"Coffee, Sara. What do you think?" He looked at her a bit puzzled and then smirked at how awkward she suddenly looked. Women.

"Oh." Surprise, trying to be covered up. "Yea, sure. That would be great. Two sugars for me."

Nick got another mug out from the cabinet, poured in some Taster's Choice and sugar, then stirred it all up with a side of love. Sara immediately took a sip, wanting to prevent herself from saying anything else stupid. The coffee was still really hot, though, and she burned her lip.

"Ow! Shit!" She exclaimed, snapping her lips away, and setting the mug on the counter. Her tongue darted out to soothe the slight burn as Nick looked on coolly from across the counter, blowing on his own coffee sensibly. All her smarts hit the fan like shit when he was around, it seemed.

"Give it a minute, Sar." He advised her as he watched her calming herself down. His thumb nudged back and forth on the white porcelain as he wondered about her. They had been best buds for years, but lately she'd been acting odd around him. Was it because she was just having a hard time, or could it be something even more frightening and wonderful? Could she have feelings for him, kind of like he had feelings for her? Not in love, but just curious. Love was not something he took lightly or just said out loud to anyone. There had always been something special about her – she was still so much of a mystery to him because she rarely let anyone close to her. What did she like to do in her spare time, besides drink and play Guitar Hero? What could he do to get her to giggle and smile like she did when he'd suggested they go give Ecklie a beating after a particularly agitating episode with him?

Nick had always been afraid to ask her out on a date, but she hadn't seemed all that opposed to it when he laid it on the table earlier. But she had been a bit tipsy, so that didn't quite hold up. However, drunkenness can bring out the true feelings in people, though obviously a bit over exaggerated. Maybe she could really like him, but Nick realized he was probably kidding himself. The main reason he was afraid of asking her out was the fact that he'd witnessed her shut-downs on many occasions. Greg? Nice guy. Shut down. That friend he'd suggested to her over coffee one time? Really awesome dude. Rejected without a second thought. Sara only seemed to go for guys that didn't deserve her, and that couldn't offer what she really needed and wanted. She went for guys like Hank and Grissom, who were so caught up in their own lives and jobs to realize what an amazing person she was. That's why he'd suggested going out with his friends. Even if he could never be with her, Nick wanted her to be happy with someone who was worthy of her. Though it would break his own heart to know he never had a chance with her, it would somehow satisfy his heart that she'd found happiness in good hands.

Sara huffed, shaking it off, as she picked her coffee mug up once again to head over to the couch. Nick followed and they both sat a safe distance from one another in front of the television. They set their still piping hot mugs on the coffee table to let the steam rise a little longer. While Sara had been sleeping, Nick had admired her Guitar Hero control. He'd always wanted to try that game, but didn't want to while Sara was sleeping.

"Oh, man. You have got to let me try your Guitar Hero. Is it good?" He asked, getting up from his only recently occupied place on her couch. Sara watched him walk over and pick the controller up, admiring the design, the colored buttons, but most of all that dying need inside all of us to be a rock star – and this was the tool to get us there.

"It's so awesome. I play it for hours." She admitted. He already knew she was a geek. "I can turn it on if you want."

"Yeah. I wanna give it a shot."

Sara nodded and walked over to turn the console on. As she bent down, Nick couldn't resist looking to see if he could see her underwear. It was a reflex. Wholesome pink panties winked back at him, just barely peeking out from under her lounge pants. He wondered if she ever wore thongs. Nick looked away as she pushed herself up, and the sounds and lights of the game system flashed on. He handed her the guitar to get the game started. As she reached the menu of songs, Nick could tell she definitely had been working at this. Dozens of songs were deemed mastered at the hard level. Sara found an easy song to start Nick off on, and handed him the controller.

"Alright, you see those colored circles on the screen?" She pointed them out to him as he eyed them and nodded. "You wanna hit the colored button and the fret key at the same time when they cross that line."

Nick nodded and narrowed his eyes in concentration. The first notes came up on the screen, and he scrambled to hit the corresponding buttons. It seemed as though by the time he had processed what the note was, his chance was long-gone to hit the right button. Nick fumbled through the first two dozen notes, not hitting a single one. His toe tried to tap the rhythm, and he occasionally bobbed back and forth a little to try to get himself going, but it was no use.

"Damn!" He cursed, hitting several buttons at the same time to hopefully get a hit. "This is really hard."

The screeching sound that the game played whenever you hit a wrong note seemed to be the only music coming out. Nick's face contorted in concentration and frustration as he tried his best to strum along, but failed miserably. Within thirty seconds, the "Song Failed" message popped up on the screen, and his chance was over.

"Jeez! How does anyone hit any notes on this game?" He turned to look at his friend, hoping to find sympathy, but her face was red with suppressed laughter. She finally spurted a snicker through her pierced lips and kept her hand over her mouth. She didn't want to hurt Nick's feelings, but he was awful.

"Nicky, you have absolutely no rhythm." She laughed, trying not to cry from the images of his ridiculous efforts at the game. Nick gave her a faked warning look as he took the controller's strap off his shoulder and held it out to her.

"Well, I'd really like to see how good you are at this." He challenged her, knowing she would be so much better. It would probably help to see how someone more experienced did it. Maybe he could catch on more.

Sara shrugged a shoulder and stood up from her seat on the coffee table. She took the controller from him and draped the strap over her much smaller frame. Expertly, she sifted through the songs to find one that could really show off her abilities and impress Nick. Like he would fall head over heels for her once he saw her second-to-none ability to strum plastic buttons in perfect time to blinking lights on a television screen. If that wasn't hot, Sara didn't know what was.

She settled on one of her favorite songs, and hit play. Nick sat on the recliner's arm and crossed his arms, receiving a smirk from his friend. He had a feeling she was really going to show him up.

The song came up, and Nick was bombarded with the sight of all those buttons coming up on the screen in rapid succession. His mouth gaped as he watched Sara not only hit every button perfectly in sync with the game, but looked damn good doing it. Her body rhythmically swayed in time to the beat, and she bobbed her head at all the right moments, looking like a true rock star. By the time the song had finished, Nick was staring at her, his mouth slightly open in wonder.

Sara let out a big breath as her score of 97 appeared on the screen.

"Woo! I got an A!" She joked as she turned to smile at Nick. She was taken aback by the look on his face – he was totally impressed.

_My love for you can no longer be denied, Sara Sidle. Your fingers are agile. No one compares to your ability at Solitaire or Guitar Hero. I love you._

Yeah, right, Sara. Snap out of it.

"You really are a nerd." Nick deadpanned, and Sara saw his tongue poke in amusement at his cheek as he studied her. He grinned widely and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

Sara pretended like she was insulted and gently bashed his head with her plastic guitar. "Hey, everyone's good at something. My forte happens to be mindless PlayStation music games."

Nick chuckled again and took the controller from her. He got ready once again to try another song, trying to psych himself up by rolling his shoulders and head from side to side.

Sara just smiled as she sat in the recliner to watch.

"Come on, Nicky. Let's see what you can do with those fingers." She encouraged him, and was glad that he was already concentrating on the game so he didn't notice her blushed face. Those fingers had already occupied more than a fair share of her fantasies. And it had nothing to do with Guitar Hero.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Heyyy readers! My brother and Dad are visiting this week in Florida, and then next Saturday, they're helping me move back to home sweet home Indiana. I'll try to update next week, but no promises. Thanks for reviewing, as always!_

A week later, Nick and Sara were laughing together again after yet another embarrassing round of Guitar Hero, at least for Nick anyway. Sara was about the best fake rocker Nick had ever come across. She knew exactly when to move her left hand around to hit every single note on that screen. Her body moved perfectly in time to the rhythm like she was Mick Jagger or someone. Nick loved just watching her move when it was her turn. Did she realize how sexy she was, the way she bit her lip sometimes at some of the more difficult passages?

"You've gotten slightly better, but my nephew could still outperform you." Sara teased him, pulling her feet up beneath her on the couch in a comfortable position.

"Hey, I just started." Nick defended himself, looking all too cute slightly spent from all the activity. Guitar Hero could really wear you out, especially when he was spending so much energy just checking out Sara. He thought of the cheesy pick up line, _you must be exhausted, cuz you've been running through my mind all night_. That's exactly what he thought about Sara. When he was around her, all he could do was stare and watch her fondly, never knowing how endearing she was when she did something as simple as stomp her foot when she missed a note. And when he was away from her, all he could think about was how he could get back to her again. Right now, Guitar Hero was his excuse. He'd come over several times this week to get some "extra practice" at the game, just so he could admire her rear end and the enticing way she moved her body a little more.

"Didn't your mother make you take piano lessons as a kid?" Sara thought she remembered him complaining of this one time they'd come across a dead body hunched over the old ivories. Nick nodded sheepishly in embarrassment.

"She let me quit after a couple months, because I was no good." He admitted to the grinning woman, knowing she'd tapped on something that could be worth tucking away in her blackmail stash that was now ever-growing with Nick. Nick sighed dramatically and looked shamefully at the person next to him. "It's safe to say, I have no rhythm."

"Interesting, but not at all surprising." She commented with a knowing smirk on her face. They had bantered around like this for years. Always really good friends, but nothing more. Sure, they'd hung out alone before, but Nick had never had the prospect and hope of dating on his mind. Sara didn't know that really yet; he'd mentioned wanting to take her out, but not actually date. In his mind, he still divided the semantics of those words like a high school freshman. A _date_ just meant one single outing. _Dating_ meant you went out regularly, but not exclusively. _Girlfriend_ meant being exclusive and hopefully some heavy petting. And _marriage_, whew. He was sure his brain would explode if he began thinking about that prospect with Sara.

Nick must have been daydreaming about all this, because the next thing he knew, Sara had lightly kicked him with her heel in the upper leg to get his attention. The playful look on her face made him what to kiss her right then and there, and throw it all to the wind. She had initiated it, so he played along, grabbed her foot and chuckled a little when she yelped as he tickled the bottom. The squirming body tried desperately to kick Nick away with her other foot, but alas, Nick was much stronger than her. Easily, he held both her ankles now as he tickled mercilessly, and she fumbled around and screeched, trying to get away. Finally, she scooted a little closer to him so she could slap him on the arms.

"Nick, I'm gonna…ahhh hahaha…I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't stop!" She threatened, and there was no way he could take her seriously the way she was laughing almost hysterically. He couldn't tell if that beautiful blush on her face was caused by just his tickling, or if she was bashful about the feelings that were being churned up. This proximity giving Nick crazy fantasies now, about having her trapped beneath him on his mattress while he gave her so much pleasure she had to scream his name.

"I highly doubt that, Sara." He continued, and tickled her sides now too, since they were now in reach. Nothing like a good tickle fight, at least in his mind. Too bad for her, she was too caught up in fighting him that she couldn't tickle back. "All I'd have to do is grab your side, and I'd be victorious."

When he thought they'd had enough, he let her go from his talented fingers and just watched her for a reaction. Her face had been full of laughter moments earlier, and now it still had a wonderful content, blissful look that made her eyes light up. Something he didn't get to see at work much, because of the gruesome nature of their jobs. Sara's legs had become draped over his legs during the fiasco, and he noted with great excitement that she made no attempt to move them. Nick thought of the movie _Hitch_, and how Will Smith had pointed out that she could always say no. She could move her legs to a more neutral area, but she wasn't. And, hey, he didn't mind one little bit.

The usually confident CSI nervously decided to put his hand on one of her bare calves and he stroked the alabaster skin tenderly. God, her skin felt so good. Up until then, he'd only managed to touch her arm a couple times, and brush her hand a few times accidentally. This new territory, this leg of hers, was thrilling, dangerous, and exciting. Heck, it was just a damn leg. He'd seen dozens of them up close, but they'd never been attached to this Sara Sidle. At work, she only wore pants most of the time, so his imagination had to make do. And, oh, he had imagined. In the flesh was even better. Nick's mind began to wander instinctively, wondering how the skin on her stomach felt, her bottom, her breasts.

Sara swallowed a little in a bit of nervousness and, most of all, delight. His hand looked so good resting there on her leg, and Sara pretended for a moment they were girlfriend and boyfriend, and this was a regular occurrence, that he touched her leg all the time. His touch was sending sensations to her lower belly, which she didn't understand at all. It's not like it was one of those sensitive areas that got you going during foreplay. It was her freakin' leg. But she was a very very happy woman, feeling his tanned, slightly rough fingers delicately stroke her skin.

They didn't look at each other at first, perhaps in fear that if they did, one of them would realize what they were doing. Nick was touching her leg, and Sara was letting him! She hadn't smacked him, or socked him in the groin for pulling a fast one on her, which had been a fear of Nick's for years. He'd seen her feisty side. It was sexy, but scary. And he wanted more.

Nick just stared down at his hand as his fingers began to trace up and down her flawless skin, staying below her kneecap safely. He decided he had to talk because the silence was killing him, and before those hands of his got a mind of their own.

"So, um," Nick cleared his throat and stilled his hands on her leg, but didn't remove them. "Have you gone out with anyone on match dot com yet?" He finally dared a look at her eyes, which had been staring at his hands. She looked up to meet his and smiled a bit. Still, she didn't look like she wanted to kill him for touching her! This was amazing!

Sara shook her head in response. "No, I just joined the other day. I've gotten winks from several guy, but they're all worse nerds than Ecklie." She explained. She decided not to tell him about the fact that once she saw his profile on there, it wasn't really worth much more looking around. Funny how he'd been right under her nose this whole time, and it took something as silly as a dating website to make it click in her mind how desirable he was. Maybe it's because all the reasons were spelled out right there in front of her about why this man was such a great catch. Why hadn't she seen it before?

Nick chuckled at that and patted her leg gently. "Yeah, I haven't had much luck either." He admitted as he rubbed his forehead. "Blonde bimbos mostly, that I'm not interested in."

Sara nodded and bit her lip. So, uh…what are you interested in?" She asked a bit timidly. Could he ever be interested in her? He was, after all, still touching her leg. It's not like she had dated a lot recently, but Sara thought that was a pretty good indication that someone had feelings for you, or at least liked you a lot.

Nick looked down at her legs for a few moments, then looked at her to meet her eyes. "Someone intelligent, funny, beautiful, passionate." He described his perfect mate, naming off all the reasons he loved Sara. They stared into each other's eyes for several prolonged moments, as if they were both indicating they wanted each other, but both were too chicken right now to acknowledge or admit it.

Sara had to look away after a few moments. "I always took you for the type that liked the popular girls. Cheerleaders and that type." He was a jock, which in school, she never would have been allowed close to. Science nerds just didn't interact with jocks, unless it was for tutoring. But here she was, ladies, his beautiful, manly hands glued to her freshly shaven legs (yes, thank God she'd shaved her legs). And plus, she'd felt him watching her all night, and she was smitten. But she was a wuss when it came to romance. He would have to make the first move.

Nick nodded and his mouth formed a sheepish look. "I've been guilty of that. They're fun at the time, but they're ditzy, shallow, not really very intelligent. Not girlfriend or wife material." He explained, allowing his thumb to come to life on her leg, gently communicating his want for her. Could that little thumb of his send the message to Sara about what he really wanted to say? Could he muster up enough guts to just tell her already? She seemed to be liking it, after all.

"Mmmm." She let the one sound out in response to his thumb gently stroking back and forth, looking at it lovingly. "So, who would you think is girlfriend material?" Sara bravely posed.

Nick's full hand then began making strokes over a small expanse of her silky smooth skin as he looked at her bravely, his heart pounding. In his mind, he was thinking, you better not mess this up, chump. Nick would never be able to forgive himself if he wrecked their friendship because he thought he sensed a mutual attraction between them. Girls were sometimes a mystery to him, and the one sitting next to him sure was complicated, but he thought he knew a crush when he sensed one.

"You." He practically whispered, then met her eyes finally. The look on her face changed to what seemed quite a pleasant expression, and relief. He wondered if her heart was pounding right now like his was. Nick knew he needed to explain. "I mean, I'd love to give dating a try, if you want to."

Sara made herself pause before answering, so she wouldn't appear to be such a grinning, giddy fool in front of him. She doubted he'd be impressed if she started jumping up and down on the couch, like she wanted to right now. "Um, yeah. I think that would be fun." Sara nodded and looked into his beautiful, tanned face. Both couldn't stop themselves from smiling widely, and let out a small laugh. There was a lot of nervous energy in the room.

Nick wanted to kiss her desperately, and had been vying for one all week, but the time was never right. But now, with her legs draped over his lap, and her lips literally just a small lean away, he gently tugged her body just a tad bit closer to his. Sara let out a surprised, but pleased, sound as she felt her body move. Before she could come up with a witty remark, Nick's right hand had moved to cup her cheek and tilt her face towards his. Nick checked her eyes for any hint of her not wanting this, and found nothing but desire. Finally, he leaned in to capture her lips in their first tender kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Alright, kiddies. The rating has gone up to 'M'. So if a little heavy petting makes you blush too much, don't read any further! For all others who love a little Snicker action, read on! Thanks to Mariel for her insights! Btw, CSI in High Definition makes Nicky even hotter, if that is possible._

Nick didn't think he'd ever heard such an amazing sound as the tiny whimper that came out of Sara's mouth a moment later. Her soft, supple lips pressed against his, he gently moved his own lips against hers, wondering how he ever lived without getting to kiss this woman. As she moved to run her hand through his hair, he secretly hoped he would never have to again. This felt so good. Better than any other random hookup, Sara was somehow able to communicate her feelings for him through their tender kiss, which turned into two, then three, then they both lost count. Soon, their mouths opened easily to each other and their tongues and lips moved with each other like this was a practiced skill. There was nothing awkward about it, two friends becoming more suddenly; it seemed so natural.

"Mmmm…" Sara praised his efforts as his tongue swept inside her mouth, letting her hand move from his hair, to his neck, to his chest. The soft smacking of their lips rang throughout the otherwise quiet room as blood pounded through their veins, causing their love-sick hearts to beat even faster. Nick's hand, which had previously been occupying the almost neutral area below her kneecap, was now confidently stroking the outside of her thigh. She didn't seem to mind, as she put her own hand on top of his, guiding it and assuring him it was okay to touch her. Sara felt stupid for getting so excited about him touching her leg – it's just that she hadn't been touched by any man in so long that it sent her back to high school days almost. Last time she'd been touched there was by Grissom, and he acted as if he'd never touched a woman before. She realized she actually wouldn't be surprised by that. Sara was very glad that the hand stroking her leg with a young, tanned one, not a wrinkly one that probably enjoyed touching bugs more.

Sara's heart fluttered as she felt Nick lean his weight towards her. She scooted her bottom over towards the edge of the couch so that he would have some room as he leaned over her. Nick moved his head expertly so they didn't lose a moment of lip locking as he guided her to lie down on the couch. He placed one of his hands near her shoulder, propping himself up, as the other hand moved enticingly from her thigh to her hip.

"God, you're so beautiful." He whispered at a slight break in their heated kissing. Nick could already feeling himself becoming hard, excited so much by the near sight of this woman. He was about ready to explode, getting to kiss her. Sara maneuvered her legs so Nick could settle in between them as they continued down this exciting road. She had imagined this so many times, even while fooling around with boyfriends, pretending it was him stroking her body. It was always her little secret, however. Now that it was coming true, she could barely contain herself. Suddenly, she felt she couldn't get enough of this hopelessly sexy man, as she explored his muscular chest and abdominals, cupped his bicep in her hand, and ran her fingers against his strong jaw line. Better than any fantasy. Way better. She grinded her hips up against his, letting him know just how far she was planning on letting him go. Sara knew he was such a gentleman, and would never cross that line unless she let him know it's what she wanted. Nick groaned in response, stopping his kisses momentarily to concentrate on not climaxing right then. Sara smiled at the effect she was having on him, letting her hand travel beneath his t-shirt to stroke his bare skin. It was warm to the touch, and Sara couldn't wait to figure out what it would feel like to have his naked chest pressed against hers, her nipples brushing his as they both groaned wantonly. They got one step closer as Nick pulled his shirt over his head, giving Sara her first un-obstructed view of his impressive chest. She'd caught glimpses before in the locker room, but never this up close, and without both of them apologizing or hiding in bashfulness. Nick looked into her eyes as hers ran over his abdominals, loving that she seemed to approve of what she saw. All those hours in the gym sure paid off at times like these. However, he wanted to get his own glimpse of this part of her anatomy, and soon.

"I want you so bad." Sara whispered, looking into his eyes, speaking right to his soul. Nick studied her beautiful face a few moments before bending down eagerly to capture her lips again. His hand rested on her belly that fluttered inside momentarily before traveling northward to cup her right breast over her shirt. He got quite an interesting verbal response, and her chest heaved upwards into his touch. Nick smirked and bit gently at her bottom lip. Sara grinded her hips up against his once again, causing him to almost jump in excitement. He groaned appreciatively and then pushed her top up over her breasts. Sara gasped in surprise at his quickness, but smiled as he began kissing and licking at her cleavage peeking out from under her pale pink bra. She played with his hair and stroked his bare side as he gently placed open mouthed kisses all over the front of her body – her stomach, her belly button, the bottom of her breasts.

Soon, it was too much of a barrier, and Nick guided her to sit up. He made quick work of her shirt, then quite impressively unclasped her bra on the first try, revealing her breasts to his eyes. Nick gave her a slow, tender kiss as he guided her to lay down again on the couch. One of his hands could resist no longer, and moved to cup one of the perfect-sized mounds into its palm. It fit perfectly as he gently kneaded it between his fingers, then moved to do the same to the other. More appreciative sounds left Sara's lips as his mouth finally found its way to one of her already pert, pink nipples. Nick suckled and laved the area with his tongue. After almost a minute of his careful, loving ministrations, Nick's mouth returned to Sara's for more kissing, almost like it was his air. Now she was given a taste of the feeling of their chests pressed against each other's, and the promise of more, as she moved to unbutton his jeans. Nick moved his hips to help her out, and managed to kick them off, leaving him in only his boxer briefs, which could not hide his quite prominent erection. Sara grasped him over the fabric, giving him several flirtatious squeezes, gazing into his eyes as she did so. They'd both been thinking about this for so long; even more so over the past week when they'd started hanging out more. Nick involuntarily thrusted in her hand, not being able to control how much he wanted her right now.

The next minute or so was a blur, and a flurry of activity, as Nick shed Sara of her shorts and panties, and she peeled off his boxer briefs. Finally, there were no obstructions, just skin on skin, lips on lips as they moved towards the grand finale. Nick propped himself up on his elbows on either side of Sara's head, framing her delicate, beautiful face that was filled with so much adoration for him. Her hands stroked his biceps as he legs lay open, ready for him. Nick studied her for a few moments before placing a single, tender kiss on her lips.

"Do you want this?" He asked her very softly, wanting to make sure she was ready for this as much as he was. Heck, he'd been ready since the day he met her. In response, Sara grasped his impressive member and gave it several sure strokes, gazing into his eyes enticingly. If he had any doubt about what she meant by that, her next sentence clarified it for him.

"Make love to me Nicky." Her mouth was dangerously close to his ear. It didn't take Nick long to respond at all, as he captured her lips with his again, his tongue forcefully probing her mouth. Sara confirmed she was on the pill before he steadied himself at her opening. Both looked down as he slowly entered her. He stopped when he heard her whimper, and checked her face for any signs of discomfort. She had her eyes closed in pleasure, adjusting to just how large he was. Nick kissed her slowly as he sheathed himself fully inside her, his length fitting her like a key. His hips stopped and they just kissed lazily for several moments, both just enjoying the feeling of being connected for the very first time.

Nick began to move inside her leisurely, finding it amazing just how tightly she hugged him, and loving the way she moved her hips in time with his thrusts. "You feel so good." He murmured into her ear, and placed open mouth kisses along her jaw line and then found her lips once again.

Sara groaned in response, curling her hips up to his as they slowly made love on her couch, which hadn't seen any action in years. It needed to be broken in. She occasionally ran her hands over his strong back, or smiled in pleasure at the sight of the hard muscles in his arms straining to keep his weight up not to crush her. He seemed to like when she ran her hands over his tight butt, pushing him in even further. They kissed sensuously as Nick thrust his hips at just the right speed, alternating between long, slow movements, and steady staccato ones, keeping her guessing in a delectable way. When he began to feel that familiar feeling growing, he took his lips away from her mouth, burying his face next to her head in the pillow, smelling the scent of her hair. The whimpers and moans she made in response to his thrusting, growing more erratic and loud as he increased his pace, reached his ears to further encourage him. He propped himself up again, his arms fully straightened, as he felt both of them nearing climax. His thrusts came faster and harder, pounding his hips into Sara's, as his member filled her walls again and again. A loud guttural moan escaped him just as Sara began almost screaming his name in pleasure. Moments later, he released his seed inside her, and slowed his thrusts to a gentler pace as Sara placed appreciative kisses on his cheek, his jaw, his lips, as their heart rates returned to a more normal rate.

"Oh my God, you're so good at that." She told him honestly, wondering if she was going to be able to walk for a few days. He smirked and kissed her slowly on the lips as he pulled out of her gently. Nick rolled onto his side next to her on her couch, their bodies glistening slightly with perspiration from their excursion.

"You're not so bad yourself." He told her, placing a possessive hand on her stomach, rubbing gently. "You felt really good."

Sara chuckled slightly, in total bliss at the moment from her climax, and they exchanged long, slow, sloppy kisses in the wake of their lovemaking. She wondered how her body could respond to so much pleasure if they did this every single day. He seemed to be in tune to her body and her needs like no other man had ever been; knew just how much to give to her and in what way. Sara just grinned again into the kiss, throwing her leg over his lovingly.

"Let's do it again." She told him, looking up at his beautiful, tanned face. Those sexy laugh lines lighted his face a moment later at her eagerness. He kissed her forehead as he snagged a throw blanket from the back of her couch and draped it over their naked, spent bodies.

"You must have more stamina than me, because I need a nap after that." He told her honestly, though he wouldn't be opposed to another round after he'd recovered. A younger Nick Stokes may have been able to continue, but his slightly seasoned body needed a break. He was sure his member would be ready to go before his muscles were, the way Sara's finger were tracing random patterns on his chest as she snuggled in a little closer. She seemed satisfied by his answer when she rested her head on his shoulder. Sara placed a final kiss on his collar bone.

"It's alright, Nicky. I'll be on top next time."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Mariel, because she has been putting up with my childish humor on AIM for far too long. Also to Megan, because she just turned legal on Sunday, and that may matter to George if he runs into her and feels attracted to her. I just started a livejournal account (I know! Sooo behind the times) so add me as a friend if you're on there. I'm Hannananaiscool. Please enjoy (but not too much) and review!_

Sara let out a pleasured scream as she sat perched upon her boyfriend's hips, riding him cowgirl style until both their hearts beat so loudly they threatened to stop right there. What was the point of their hearts living on when they had both experienced what could quite possibly be the best sex of their lives?

"Almost there, baby." Nick grunted, holding on to Sara's bottom, guiding her motions as she fell hard again and again, on the exact right place of his throbbing member. He was half-sitting on the bed, his back pressed up against the cool oak headboard, the insides of her things meshed perfectly against the outsides of his. She was hugging his length perfectly, the gyration of her hips an intoxicating combination as she nibbled his earlobe. Nick just watched as her beautiful breasts bounced in time with her movements, her skin glistening with a slight sweat. His breath caught in his throat as he felt his eminent release mounting as the intensity of Sara's movements increased even more. A few more perfectly timed movements of her hips, and he exploded inside her as she let out a strangled moan of pleasure. Both basked in the after-orgasm, Sara keeping his member inside of her to just enjoy the feeling.

"God, you feel so fuckin' good inside me." Sara told him throatily, in perhaps the naughtiest voice he had ever heard come from her lips. Nick's eyebrows quirked as he checked her face and pressed several kisses to her forehead and temple as they recovered.

"Mmm, you're so good on top, darlin'." He complimented her, running his strong hands up and down her naked back as she nuzzled her face against his. Nick made her feel so comfortable, so at ease and wild at the same time when they made love. They were in the experimentation phase, always willing to try something new, and try very often. The couple exchanged dozens of lazy kisses as they lay there, until the need for rest overtook both their bodies. Nick gently guided her to lay on her side, extracting his member from within her. Their lips seemed to like each other, as they gently nipped and kissed at each other at random moments, as they lay in her ruffled sheets late in the day. The good thing about mid-afternoon sex was that generally they didn't have to worry about waking up the neighbors. They were off at work, and Nick and Sara were screwing. A lot.

After the minimum amount of rest time, Sara swung her legs off the bed and wandered into the kitchen to get herself a bottle of water from all this excursion. She gulped about a third of it down right there in the kitchen, her throat parched for her screaming in the throes of passion. Sara smirked to herself as she recalled her last couple wonderful weeks with Nick Stokes. After that first night of love-making, they decided they were indeed an item, and hadn't been able to stay away from each other ever since. Nick was apparently much more schooled in the art of sex, as he did something new and amazing with her body seemingly every time, using his mouth, his fingers, his amazingly big member that seemed to rearrange her insides, to pleasure her like no one else ever had. In virtually all her other relationships with men, there had been an awkward period when they started having sex. There would be fumbling, off-timing, lack of orgasm, and shyness. But with Nick, Sara threw her inhibitions to the wind. They had no trouble tuning in to each other's bodies; their wants and needs. She'd orgasmed multiple times on their first night, and things had gone off the charts since then. It had been the most amazing two weeks, and Sara could feel in her heart that it would only get better from here. Screw match dot com. What did they know about romance?

Caught in her thoughts, she didn't even realize her lover had tip toed out of the bedroom himself, still naked as the day he was born, and came up behind her, placing those talented hands on her hips. She heaved forward, taking her water bottle from her lips so it wouldn't spill on the floor, and swallowed, leaning back into his bare chest. God, that chest seemed to come from a magazine. Not to mention those arms, that face up close, those piercing eyes. If Sara could sculpt, she would indeed need to make a stone carving out of this man right here.

"I was gettin' lonely." He lied in that low, delectable southern drawl, his hands moving upwards from her hips to run over the tiny bulge in her belly, which he managed to make feel sexy when he placed those lavish, open-mouthed kisses all over it. Nick gently feasted on her neck, Sara tilting her head to the side so he wasn't at all hindered, and already, jolts were coursing through her body, ready for yet another round.

"Were you?" She asked seductively, her fingertips brushing along his tanned hands, encouraging him along. Nick couldn't be rushed, though. He was steady in his wonderful tortures, making her wait until she was practically forcing him to do what she wanted. "Well, you left me dehydrated."

A tiny chuckle resounded in his throat – that purely masculine sound that somehow instinctively made Sara want him to take her right then. He pressed a slow kiss to her naked shoulder and patted her hips. "I'm sorry, babe."

She turned in his arms finally, a wide smile on her face, clarifying indeed that he had a smug look on his face, not at all sorry about his actions from the past few hours. She didn't mind either.

"Liar." She accused him, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his perfect lips towards her own swollen ones from hours of this very activity. She didn't care, though. Didn't care her body was dry, that her loins ached, that she hadn't called her friend back. Sara could feel him smile into the kiss; no one had ever seemed so intrigued, thrilled, interested in her as this man was. She never thought she was that interesting a person, but Nick made her feel like one in a million, worshipping her mind, her body, her emotions. And when they connected, it was like she was whole. He was the yin to her yang; the positive to her negative.

Nick feasted on her earlobe for a moment, then her neck, then collarbone. "You know what I feel like doing right now?" He asked seductively as his head dipped to capture a nipple between his pink lips. Sara ran her hands through his hair and sighed at the sensation.

"What do you wanna do?" She smirked, thinking she already knew the answer based on where he was heading. However, Nick was full of tricks, as she was reminded the next moment. He abruptly stopped and pressed a single kiss to her forehead.

"Play Guitar Hero." He said in the calmest voice imaginable, giving her a knowing wink. Sara rolled her eyes at him as he gave her hip a little squeeze, then walked past her to the game console. Nick was good at playing hard to get for a guy. She just sighed and admired his ass as he picked up the guitar and positioned it in the correct place, standing nude, besides his instrument, in her living room. Not so long ago, this seemed like only a dream to Sara. A dirty, naughty dream that would never come true.

He turned and smiled at her, holding out the second guitar they'd purchased last week, since this had become their second favorite activity to do together (I'll give you one try at their first). Sara amusedly shook her head, but took the guitar from him and put it on her own body. It was amazing to her that she didn't seem at all self-conscious about this attire. She felt completely comfortable around this guy, after only knowing each other in this sense for a few weeks. Sara guess it was the years of friendship previously that put her so at ease. That allowed her to giggle at the absurdity of it all as Nick began shaking his ass along to the beat of one of the songs, and later pressed his back to hers to grind their butts together. Sure, they failed the song, but who really cares when by the end of it, Sara was on her back on the floor, a naked Nick Stokes hovering above her, about to experience round two of their love-making? And it was only ten-thirty.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: I knew how I wanted to end this, and how things have been going, I have actually reached the point in the story where I feel it should end. So, this is the final chapter!! A special thanks to Mariel for boosting my confidence, and to Lostladyknight for coming up with an idea of how to end it. You both rock!! Please enjoy this last chapter, and sorry I didn't warn sooner on the end! Thanks for reading!!_

The next day, and several rounds of some hot lovin' later, Nick and Sara sat outside the CSI headquarters in Nick's truck just before shift started, making out. Sara had tried to make rules about kissing, but it wasn't going very well. The couple was trying to keep a low profile about their relationship, not wanting to arouse suspicions about their professionalism, and especially not wanting to piss off Grissom and Ecklie. If Gil found out, that would just be awkward.

Nick was currently inching the fabric of Sara's high collar out of the way to kiss and suck at the tender skin there, wishing they were back in her bed again, on the couch, the kitchen table, anywhere but here with at least an eight hour shift ahead of them until they could get frisky. Sara let out an audible moan, but then gently put her hands on his shoulders and steered him back a little.

"Jello." She told him simply. It had become their safe word, which meant stop immediately, which had come about for some unknown reason. Sara had mentioned that she hated Jello, so the word had come to describe unwanted things. Sara loved that they were already coming up with inside jokes – that was a sign the relationship was moving forward. Soon, they would be naming his penis, and buying a cat together.

"I'm having to wear this high-collared shirt in the middle of summer because of those hickeys you gave me. What are you trying to do?" Sara teased him, running her hand up and down his exposed, fantasy-inducing biceps. Yes, those were nice.

Nick nodded simply and smirked at her before capturing her lips with hers again. If kissing was a sport, Sara would medal internationally at the Olympics. He could never get tired of dueling with her lips and tongue, of exploring each and every crevasse in that hot, sultry mouth of hers. She seemed to feel the same about him, as she dove in whole-heartedly at him again, devouring those delectable lips of his. When Sara's hand grazed a certain part of his anatomy, he jumped a little and stilled her hand by grabbing her wrist.

"Lemon-flavored Jello!" He told her, with a dead serious look on his face, which didn't fool Sara. She stopped, but knew he'd like it. Instead, she ran her hand up and down his hard chest, knowing that because of that tight dark blue shirt he was sporting today, she would have trouble keeping her hands to herself.

Moments later, both their pagers went off, causing their lips to part each other's with a light smack. Nick looked down at his, and saw that it was Greg, calling about some test results that had apparently just come back. They groaned a little in disappointment, knowing they needed to stick strictly to their no-touch policy at work. Both of them knew well, that if that happened, they may as well call it a day, or that at least Nick would have to pay a little visit to the restroom.

"Well, forensicside, I believe it is time for us to go." Nick raised his eyebrows at her and mocked sadness. "The dead bodies need us."

Sara giggled as they touched noses and nuzzled for a moment, they exchanged one last slow, tender kiss before Nick shut the engine off. Both climbed out and tried to look nonchalant. According to them, Sara's car had been in the shop for several weeks now, so Nick had been driving her to and from work. Nick reached out to squeeze his girlfriend's bottom, but was swatted away. Unbeknownst to them, or it would be 'knownst' to them if they pulled their soaring heads out of the clouds, other people were in the parking lot at the time, and happened to notice their little exchange.

A few minutes later, after they had received their assignments, the team filed into the locker room to get any needed gear for their cases and road trips. Nick and Sara had sadly been assigned to different cases today, though of course they never let their constant flirty banter interfere with their work. Never would they decide to pull over at the side of the room for a quickie, or steal a kiss in the locker room, and most certainly they would never graze up accidentally against each other's sensitive anatomy. Both exchanged friendly conversations with their fellow CSI's, but they held back until the rest of the team had left. Since they wouldn't see each other all day now, it was agreed between their lustful gazes they needed to have one last kiss, or series of kisses, to send the other on his or her way.

When everyone was gone, Nick looked out the window to make sure, though of course anyone could walk by at any moment and see them. Neither CSI said anything as he stepped forward, smirking mischievously, and pressed Sara up against the row of lockers just behind her. She giggled knowingly, a sound that few had witnessed escaping Sara's mouth over the years, her eyes twinkling and growing darker by the second with desire. One of Nick's strong hands stationed itself just by Sara's head, effectively trapping her – completely unnecessary, of course. The fingers on his other hand sat on her left hip, inching up under her shirt to carress a bit of her perfectly downy soft skin as he leaned in to capture her lips in a first tender, but quickly passionate kiss. Almost immediately, Nick's tongue swept out to circle with hers inside her hot mouth, their lips nudging and caressing, tugging and smacking together and apart in the heat of the moment. If he wasn't mistaken, Sara must have been a damn minx in a previous life, the way she began to undulate her hips up against his in a decidedly provocative fashion. Nick groaned in response, using both hands now to pull her hips closer to his, so she could feel his ever growing erection, threatening to bug out from his pants. He caught an earlobe between his teeth and nipped it gently, before moving his attention to the skin below, her jaw, her neck, her collarbone. Having had sex on more than one occasion over the course of his life, Nick knew he was going to have to release himself somehow now, the way Sara had him all riled up. She seemed to have the same idea, her fingers teasing the tip of him inside his jeans, causing him to jump in pleasure. Sara smiled and squealed slightly when Nick suddenly used his hands on his ass to pick her up. Instinctively, she wrapped her long legs around his steady torso, his blood racing quickly down to his area of need.

Sara kissed him hungrily, not sure what he was planning, but trusting he had something up his sleeve. Finally, he set her down in what she figured out to be the community shower, based on the tiled walls around her, and as he pressed her back up against it, still kissing feverishly. He carefully guided her legs back down so she could stand, and they quickly started to divest each other of clothing. A bare-chested Nick reached over to the next stall and turned the water on, so if anyone came into the locker room, they wouldn't come in, thinking someone was showering. Plus, it would drown out the sounds of their lovemaking, and Sara tended to be quite vocal. Soon, both were completely naked, and very turned on by their current situation. The real possibility of them getting caught was apparent, but that's what made it so exciting. Someone could walk in on them! But Sara frankly didn't care as Nick once again picked her up, letting him back her against the cool, tiled wall, and looked down to line his large member up with her opening. Sara crossed her ankles at the small of his back, brining him closer still, as he penetrated her quickly, but not too harshly. She gasped at the pleasant, and much appreciated intrusion, letting herself enjoy the feeling of him filling her completely, her insides hugging him in need.

Nick watched his girlfriend's face, loving to watch the pleasure spread from her eyes, that gap-toothed smile, to the blush of her cheeks. The water cascaded down in the shower next to them as Nick began pumping in and out of her hard and fast, both knowing this was going to have to be quick. Slow and tender called for another time when your nerdy entomological boss, who happened to be your ex-boyfriend, was just down the hall, and a certain asshole by the name of Ecklie was just looking for a reason to fire them both.

Both felt the pleasure building at the base of their spines, indicating their eminent release. Nick moved to reposition his stance slightly, moving his left foot over a bit closer to the next shower. When he did this, however, his bare foot made contact with the water from the running shower, and he lost his footing. Before either knew what was happening, and before either could orgasm, Nick's leg went sliding to the left at rocket speed, sending both of them tumbling to the shower floor. Nick moaned in pain, having stretched his left leg the way a dancer doing the splits might. Only, of course, he was not a member of the Las Vegas Ballet Company, and neither were his thighs. He knew he had pulled a muscle. A painful muscle that didn't like to be toyed with. His hand went to the inside of his left thigh, trying to knead the pain out, but even that hurt.

Sara let out an 'oof' as she hit the floor, her head banging against the wall, and her bottom making an unfriendly contact with the floor. For the moment, all she could think of was that this was a community shower, meaning germs, germs, and more germs. They were probably all over her ass!

Sara quickly stood up to deter those community shower bugs from crawling up her ass, but immediately felt a little dizzy. If Nick hadn't been so busy basking in his own pain, he would have jumped up to help her. Sara closed her eyes at the pain, and touched the back of her tender head. There would definitely be a bruise and a bump forming very shortly. And now she could feel a distinct throbbing pain in her right wrist, which she'd used to break her fall. When she looked, it was already looking a reddish purple – probably broken, or at least sprained.

"Shit!" She cursed at everything – their bad judgment, the pain, her lack of climax. Nick let out a rather unpleasant sound, a pained look on his handsome face. He looked up at Sara regretfully.

"Sar…" He resembled an old man, "A little help please?"

Sara snapped out of her own fears to help the hot, naked, slippery man in need before her. Using all her strength, but only her good hand, she managed to pull Nick to his feet. She turned the other shower off quickly and then placed her hand over her own forehead, assessing their situation. Though she was stubborn as hell, Sara knew she couldn't work with this broken hand until she got it taken care of, and that bump on her head was beginning to feel quite brutal. And by the displeased look on her boyfriend's face, she guessed he would be limping for a least a couple days – not a good thing for a CSI.

"Fuck, Sara!" He complained, leaning forward and clutching at his leg again. "This fucking hurts!"

"It's not my fault! You turned the shower on, and now my damn wrist is probably broken." She paced back and forth slightly within the shower, still completely naked. The draft caught up with her moments later, and she began redressing herself, very slowly.

"Well, what the hell are we gonna do?" He posed as he managed to get his own shirt on. Sadly, Sara needed to help him on with his boxer-briefs and jeans, but he winced in pain at every movement he had to make. No way he was walking around crime scenes all day. He couldn't even walk one step without wanting to shout out in pain.

"I think I need to go to the emergency room." Sara told him honestly, observing how her wrist was taking on a frightening color. It was looking like a cross between her tabby cat, blood, and Barney the annoying dinosaur.

"They ask questions at the emergency room, Sar. And Grissom's gonna find out, and he'll have both our bruised asses." Nick reminded her, his voice frustrated with how things had gone down. One minute, they were having great sex, and the next, both their bodies and egos were bruised.

"Well, I'm not gonna walk around all day with a freakin' broken wrist, Nick. And I don't think you can really hide your limp." She pointed out smartly to him. "We need to get medical care."

Nick knew Sara was speaking logically, but he didn't want to heed her advice. He would limp all day if it meant keeping his relationship with Sara secret from Grissom. That would just be too awkward so soon afterwards. Nick wanted to shout it out to the world, but knew for the sake of their relationship, they needed to keep it on the down low. However, it was not going to be like Sara and Grissom's relationship. Nick would make sure of that. Once Grissom seemed to get over his little sad tantrum about losing Sara, they would come out with their relationship. Nick thought he owed it to the man who gave him his job; that Sara had cared about so much for so many years. He had respect for the guy in a professional sense – not so much more in the personal.

He sighed heavily, amidst his suffering, to point out the logical consequence of this. "It'll be pretty obvious we were doin' something we weren't supposed to be doin'."

Sara managed a small smile. "We don't have to tell them we were having sex. We fell."

"I'm not talkin' about at the ER. I'm talkin' about Grissom. He likes questions."

"Well, what's the big deal anymore? We're boyfriend and girlfriend. We're young and we like to have sex a lot. Big deal."

"He pined over you for probably ten years." Another sharp pain shot through his leg when he began to hobble closer to Sara.

"He needs to move on. I have." She figured it was fair, reaching out with her good hand to caress his tanned cheek lovingly. "But then again, he doesn't have a hot boyfriend to screw."

That caused Nick to let out a burst of handsome boyish laughter that already made Sara feel better. She liked that she could joke around with Nick, and be silly with him. Never would she catch Grissom cracking a juvenile joke, or laughing at one of her childish comments. He wouldn't be caught dead jamming naked to Guitar Hero, and surely his old body could not handle the amount of sex she and Nick were currently having. Nicky was her man, for better or for worse. And as they walked (or hobbled, in Nick's case) into Grissom's office a couple hours later, after visiting the ER, Sara was quite frightened this may be one of the worsts.

Grissom cleared his throat, perching himself backwards in his cushy chair, staring back at the two CSI's in front of him. Both look a little embarrassed and remorseful of what he'd caught wind of in the halls of the building. Something about Nick, Sara, a shower, and injuries. Nick had a pair of crutches tucked up under his armpits, and Sara had a cast on her right wrist, both of their faces were painted with a certain amount of shame – the same you might find on a pair of kindergarteners who were caught kissing behind the jungle gym. And he was the principal, passing his adult judgment on the red-handed pair, who had been doing inappropriate things within his walls.

"I'm ready for your explanation." He stated simply, peering at them over his glasses, tinkling with the pen in his hands with his fingers, trying to keep his cool.

Nick and Sara exchanged a look, as if to say 'now or never'. They had talked about this before, and had agreed it was best for Sara to give him the news. That would be the mature, adult thing to do, since she had gone out with the guy. She cleared her throat and moved to tuck some hair behind her ear, but remembered she really couldn't very well with her casted wrist. Slightly, embarrassed, she awkwardly moved her opposite hand and secured the wayward hair in place.

"Well, uh…" She cleared her throat again. "We have something we need to tell you." Sara began nervously, feeling both Nick and Grissom's eyes on her. She had to stop herself from smiling at the way Nick always made her feel when he looked at her like that with such care – like she was the only other person in the world, and he wanted to do her right then. Well maybe not right then. When they got home, and very carefully.

Grissom motioned with his hands impatiently for her to continue. Nick gave her a nod for her to continue. "Well, people who…like each other, sometimes end up going out on dates. And then…sometimes eventually that leads to becoming boyfriend and girlfriend." She explained awkwardly to her ex-boyfriend in front of her new boyfriend.

"Okay…" Grissom seemed irritated, which was hard to do, "What does that have to do with you both being injured at work?" He was worried about injured at work compensation.

Another look between Nick and Sara. Grissom recognized that look – not because any female ever looked at him that way, but he'd seen it in movies. He'd longed for Sara to gaze at him that way, but she never would. And here she was – looking at Nick in such a caring, loving way. Right then, he knew. They were doing it.

Grissom held up his hand and closed his eyes, clearing his own throat as well. "Okay, I get it." He stopped Sara before she continued any farther. Nick and Sara looked at him, like a couple of teenagers wondering if the neighborhood nerd knew what sex really was. He did. And they were grateful they wouldn't have to explain any further.

"Uh-okay." Sara said, her voice going up slightly during the last syllable. "So, everything's okay?"

Personally? No. Professionally? Not quite, but he couldn't exactly hold it against them because he was jealous. Sure, he could bust them to Ecklie for screwing in the CSI shower during shift, but Grissom wasn't that kind of asshole. He cared for his CSI's, and though he was hurt that Sara had moved on, he knew it wasn't fair to hold that against her. Sara had moved on, like she should have years ago.

He nodded several times slowly, his eyes drifting away from the pair to something less disheartening. "Yes, but consider this a warning. Romance on company time could be grounds for dismissal."

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you, Grissom."

They thanked him simultaneously, glad he wasn't going to make an issue out of this, because he very easily could. He could have both their asses, but what good would that really do him? Nick and Sara would still be together – their love, in fact, would probably grow stronger after the experience they would've been through together. And he would've lost two of his best CSI's. Yes, this time he would let it go. But it would still be some time, he knew, before he could let Sara go for good.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

Ten hours later, after a trying day at the CSI headquarters, Sara and Nick had managed to carefully peel off each article of clothing once again. In all their injury and pain, still they could not keep their hands off each other for the sake of anything. Because of Nick's thigh, the missionary position or any semblance of it was out, so Sara was now currently on top of Nick, trying to remind herself not to use her injured hand as they ventured further and further into each other's hearts with every hump.

Nick was trying to enjoy the view, biting his lip slightly to keep from yelping out in pain every few seconds when she accidentally put too much weight on his upper thigh. She had already punched him by accident while he took off her shirt for her earlier, leaving a generously-sized bruise on the side of his forehead.

Sara, herself, was trying not to put too much weight on her own hand. She needed to change positions slightly every once in a while or things got too tiresome. It was hard work being on top, which is where she would be for a while, she was sure, until Nick's bruised thigh returned to normal.

"Mmmm." Nick complimented her movements, his hands on her hips guiding her motions and thrusts. Sara's hair spilled down around her face, tickling his nose every once in a while. They were just getting into the thick of things, when a particular hair of Sara's caught the inside of his nose, causing him to suddenly sneeze. The sneeze jolted his body, causing great pain to sear through his thigh and leg, which in turn caused Sara to brace herself from falling onto his face by leaning onto her bad hand. Both yelped in pain and all movement stopped. Nick gently pulled himself out of Sara as she carefully moved off of his hips and to his side. The pair were just trying to concentrate on making the pain subside, but soon the ridiculousness of it all hit them. Sara was the first to start laughing, soon joined by Nick's manly chuckles as they realized their horniness was getting them into too much trouble. Neither said a word as they both just laughed for a minute or so, until Nick gently pulled her to his chest. Both decided snuggling would make do for now, for the sake of their bodies.

"I guess we won't be doing that for a while." Sara commented, chuckling a bit. "Or Guitar Hero either."

Nick chuckled. "Uh-uh. No way I'm givin' up Guitar Hero." He smiled.

Sara feigned insult and gave him a playful, light smack on his bare chest. They fell asleep in each other's arms a few minutes later, both tired from their nearly sexual encounter.

Hours later, as Sara woke up from a much-needed slumber in the warm goodness of her bed, she heard the faint sounds of Guitar Hero playing in the next room. She smiled as she turned in the bed to see that indeed Nick had escaped from her grasp and was back at that game again. He was getting quite good at it, she had to admit. But he would never be quite as good as her. That was okay, though, because he was just perfect at everything else. A perfect best friend, perfect coworker, perfect boyfriend, perfect lover. He was her perfect match, and he'd been right under her nose all these years.

Sara swung her legs over the side of her bed and slipped her robe on over her shoulders, padding softly over to her laptop computer. She awoke it from sleep mode and quickly logged on to the Internet. Scrolling down her favorites list, she clicked on the match dot com link, and her profile popped up. She grinned and shook her head when she saw that several other nerdy men had winked at her or sent her messages. That was not the reason why she was on today.

Sara clicked on the customer service section and navigated herself to the Account Cancellation area. Now that she had her Nicky, there was no need to even look anymore. All she ever needed or wanted was right here. Well, right in the next room jamming away to "I Love Rock and Roll". She clicked on "Cancel", and the website asked to give a reason for it. Sara thought for a moment, and then typed into the box:

_Your website is no longer needed. Mission accomplished - My dream match is found._

Thanks so much to everyone that read! This was a very fun fic to write!


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